Thursday morning, 5:30 am. Interval training 1 minute fast, 2 minutes recovery, repeat eight times.

[SYSTEM] Interval Training Complete. Fitness: +0.6%. Speed: 29/100 → 30/100.

Tom Fletcher's interview lasted twenty minutes. He was 48, old-school, with a no-nonsense demeanor. He was competent, experienced, but his approach was outdated. He talked about "running them into the ground" and "toughening them up." He didn't mention load management, injury prevention, or sports science once.

After he left, I called Gary.

"Rebecca Thompson. I want to hire her."

"Done. I'll get HR to send the contract."

"And Michael Steele for goalkeeping."

"Also done. When can they start?"

"As soon as possible."

"I'll make it happen. Good choices, Danny."

I hung up, feeling a mix of excitement and terror. I was building a team. A real coaching team. It was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

That afternoon, I went to the pitch. More ball work. Passing, receiving, moving. I was getting sharper.

[SYSTEM] Technical Skill: 54/100 → 55/100.

Friday morning, 5:30 am. Recovery run 5k easy pace.

[SYSTEM] Recovery Run Complete. Fitness: +0.3%.

At 9am, I called Rebecca.

"Rebecca, it's Danny Walsh. I'd like to offer you the position."

There was a pause, then: "I accept. When do I start?"

"Monday, if you can."

"I'll be there."

Next, I called Michael Steele.

"Michael, I'd like to offer you the goalkeeping coach position."

"I accept. Looking forward to it."

Two calls. Two hires. Two more pieces of the puzzle in place.

That afternoon, I gathered Sarah in my office.

"We've got a team now," I said. "You, Rebecca, Michael. Four of us."

Sarah smiled. "Feels real now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It does."

"So what's next?"

"Next, we integrate them. Make sure we're all aligned. Build a coaching culture, not just a collection of individuals."

"And then?"

"And then we start winning."

That evening, I went to the pitch one more time. I wanted to end the week strong. I worked on everything passing, receiving, movement, finishing. By the end, I was drenched in sweat.

[SYSTEM] Technical Skill: 55/100 → 56/100. You're improving. Keep going.

Saturday morning, 5:30am. Long run 8k steady pace.

[SYSTEM] Long Run Complete. 8.04km, 50:22. Fitness: +0.8%. Cardiovascular Endurance: 44/100 → 45/100.

[SYSTEM] Week 2 Personal Training Complete. Fitness: 44/100 → 46/100 (+2%). You're building a foundation.

Emma called that afternoon.

"So you hired two more people?"

"Yeah. Rebecca Thompson for fitness, Michael Steele for goalkeeping."

"Look at you, building an empire."

I laughed. "Hardly an empire. Just a coaching team."

"Still. I'm proud of you. You're actually delegating now. That's character growth."

"It's terrifying."

"That's how you know it's working. So when do they start?"

"Monday. Both of them."

"And you're ready for that? Managing four people instead of just Sarah?"

I hesitated. "I don't know. But I have to be."

"You'll be fine. Just remember: you hired them because they're good at what they do. Let them do it."

"I know."

"Do you, though?"

She had a point.

We talked for another hour. About her week at the care home, about Manchester, about when she'd visit next. By the time we hung up, I felt grounded again.

That afternoon, I went to the gym. Strength training bodyweight exercises, core work, mobility drills. Rebecca had mentioned during her interview that she believed in coaches training alongside their players. "It builds respect," she'd said. "Shows you're willing to do what you're asking them to do."

I spent an hour working. It was brutal. But I finished.

[SYSTEM] Strength: 36/100 → 37/100.

Sunday morning, 5:30am. Recovery run 5k easy pace.

[SYSTEM] Recovery Run Complete. Fitness: +0.3%.

That afternoon, I spent hours preparing for Monday. I created welcome packets for Rebecca and Michael tactical philosophy, training schedule, player profiles, video examples of our pressing system, everything they'd need to hit the ground running.

I obsessed over every detail. The formatting. The content. The order of information. I rewrote sections three times.

Sarah texted: Stop obsessing. It's good enough.

How did you know I was obsessing?

Because I know you. Send me the packets. I'll review them.

I sent them. She called ten minutes later.

"Danny, these are brilliant. Stop worrying. They're perfect."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Now stop working and get some rest. Big week ahead."

I also prepared a staff meeting agenda. We needed to align on our approach, establish communication protocols, define roles and responsibilities.

Gary had been right: building a team wasn't just about hiring good people. It was about creating a culture, a shared vision, a way of working together.

That evening, I reviewed the player stats. After seven weeks, we'd made progress:

Squad Pressing Success Rate: 69%

Squad Respect: 75%

Tactical Familiarity: 74%

Individual Players:

- Reece Hannam (Captain): Respect 74%, Leadership improving

- Nya Kirby: Respect 80%, Work rate excellent

- Connor Blake: Respect 52%, Improving but still inconsistent

- Ryan Fletcher (GK): Confidence 62%, Needs specialized coaching

Connor was still a challenge. But with Michael Steele coming in to work with Ryan, and Rebecca to improve overall fitness, we'd have more tools to address these issues.

The system notification appeared as I closed my laptop.

[SYSTEM] Week 7 Complete.

[SYSTEM] Staff Team: Sarah Martinez (Assistant Coach), Rebecca Thompson (Fitness Coach), Michael Steele (Goalkeeping Coach).

[SYSTEM] Personal Fitness: 44/100 → 46/100 (+2%). Technical Skill: 52/100 → 56/100 (+4%).

[SYSTEM] Next Week: Staff integration. First full team training with complete coaching staff.

[SYSTEM] Leadership Challenge: Manage team dynamics. Ensure cohesion. Avoid conflicts.

[SYSTEM] You're no longer a solo coach. You're a manager. Act like it.

I smiled. The system was right.

Tomorrow, everything changed. Tomorrow, I'd have a full coaching staff.

Tomorrow, the real work began.

I went to bed that night feeling prepared. But also anxious. Managing one person Sarah had been hard enough. Now I'd have three. Three people with their own expertise, their own opinions, their own ways of working.

What if they didn't get along? What if they disagreed with my approach? What if I couldn't manage the dynamics?

The system notification appeared in the darkness.

[SYSTEM] Leadership Tip: You don't need to have all the answers. You need to create an environment where your team can find them together.

I smiled. Even the system was trying to calm me down.

I closed my eyes. Tomorrow was Monday. Tomorrow, the team was complete.

And I was ready. Or at least, I was as ready as I'd ever be.

***

Thank you to silentjester for the inspiration capsule.

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